- Stratford Clinic
- Whitfield Clinic
Demian is the owner and senior veterinarian of Ulysses Veterinary Clinic. Demian has extensive experience as a veterinarian having worked for several years in busy practices in the UK and on the Gold Coast. Graduating from the University of Queensland in 1998, his main interests in veterinary science are dog and cat medicine and surgery. When not helping keep Cairns’ pets happy and healthy Demian enjoys working up a sweat riding up to Copperlode Dam and walking Maxo the labrador around the Freshwater canefields.
Karen has been working at Ulysses Veterinary Clinic since 2004. Karen is passionate about all things surgical and also enjoys challenging avian and reptile cases. Karen has completed a Masters degree in Public Health focusing on issues surrounding human and animal interactions. She has 3 beautiful Labrador Retrievers at home and loves to spend time with her family.
Carol has been working at Ulysses Veterinary Clinic (and formerly the Airport Veterinary Surgery) since 2003. Carol is passionate about reptilian and wildlife medicine, surgery and pathology. Carol has recently completed her Master’s degree with JCU studying the blood parameters of the mysterious, marsupial predator the Quoll. When not keeping Cairns pets and wildlife, snakes and lizards healthy she is kept on her toes by four children and a household full of furry, feathery and scaled friends. Carol’s latest adventure has been her third field trip to Mongolia to Study the behaviour and habits of snow leopards in the wild!
Beau was born & raised here in FNQ. She has been with Dr Demian and the Ulysses team since 2014. She is also one of the first graduates from the veterinary school at James Cook University in Townsville, that graduated in 2010. Beau is a super enthusiastic and knowledgeable Veterinarian, who prides herself on providing comprehensive and specialised care to all of her patients. We feel very blessed to have Beau as a part of our team! On her days off, you will still find her surrounded by animals as she often helps out on her family’s cattle property further up north.
Yuka joined our team in June 2022, bringing with her a load of positivity and a deep compassion for fur-babies with behavioural challenges. Yuka’s story starts in Japan, where she was born and raised till the age of 12. She then moved to the big city of Hong Kong. She graduated from the University of Sydney in 2017 and has gained a wealth of knowledge working in a modern inner-Sydney veterinary clinic followed by a suburban clinic, where she developed her love for helping homeless animals. This led her to foster over 100 rescue kittens (and still counting!). Her deep love is shared between – helping rescue animals, helping fur-babies with behavioural disorders and her own beloved pets: 3 cats and 2 dogs. Yuka spares no effort to provide the best care for her patients – partaking in the DELTA dog training course and completing a continued education course in Behavioural Medicine. She travels the world attending various conferences. Her aim as a veterinarian is that every patient walks out of the clinic better than when they came in, physically or otherwise.
Dr. Stephanie spent most of her life in FNQ, and graduated from James Cook University in 2011, and we’re so excited to have her as part of the Ulysses team! After spending the next 8 years in small animal practice in Cairns and Noosa, she underwent rigorous examinations and successfully became a member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Surgeons. With a passion for the James Herriot novels, Stephanie moved to picturesque Devon and practiced for 3 years around the South West of England. During that time she developed a strong interest in ultrasonography, and since recently moving back to Australia plans to pursue it. Stephanie has a rescue Kelpie named Pippa who keeps her busy in her spare time; her hobbies are going hiking, beaching, flowers, and baking.
Dr Meg is a Cairns local, who graduated from JCU Townsville in 2015. She worked in Australia in a small animal and equine practice for 18 months before moving over to the UK. Meg was a travelling locum vet throughout the UK for a few years, before settling in Scotland. Several Scottish winters later and the warmth of FNQ drew herself & her family back! Megs says her hobbies include; reading, hiking & yoga, but at the moment it’s life’s simple pleasures, like a walk on the beach (and drinking good Australian coffee) with my family. She likes the variety of days in vetmed, and is particularly interested in puzzling medicine cases and finding the sweet spot between a centred holistic approach and standard medical intervention.
Jo joined Ulysses because she was attracted by the practice’s excellent medical, surgical and anaesthetic services, and the strength of the nursing team. She loves a clinical challenge and enjoys treating patients with complex or rare diseases, and she has a hopeless soft spot for ageing pets. Jo is also involved in veterinary education and works on projects that support vets in practice and encourage other great practitioners to join the Australian veterinary industry.
Our Practice Manager Grace, is a an FNQ local and has been with Ulysses since the beginning of 2018. She loves weekends in the garden with her senior hounds, ‘Tily-Rae’ & ‘Phoenix’ and their beloved moggie ‘Zsa’, and the fact that she is so lucky to have found a job she loves! She is quite the advocate for cats, especially those with a little extra sass. Grace says her favourite part about being a vet nurse is that, “Every person that walks through our doors obviously has an animal in their life that means everything to them, and they are the best kind of people!”. Grace transitioned over to Practice Manager towards the end of 2023. She loves looking after our team & our clients, and is forever grateful for every patient she gets to meet.
Caitlin grew up in the UK in the small town of Swindon. She came to Australia for a 12-month adventure and has been here in Cairns since. That was 13 years ago! Caitlin’s love of the outdoors and all things FNQ is why she’s stayed so long. She’s known since the age of 16 that she would be a part of the veterinary world, and she’s worked so hard to get here. Caitlin is fascinated with surgical vet nursing and client & patient care. She has a particular love for all the wildlife we get to meet and care for here at the clinic. She agrees completely with the saying, “Choose a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life”. Caitlin transitioned to the position of Lead Vet Nurse in 2026, and looks forward to helping guide and mentor our already brilliant team.
We feel very privileged to have Sam with us here at Ulysses. She ensures the highest level of care and compassion to our patients and clients. She had worked for many years in a busy Darwin practice before moving to the cooler climate of Cairns! Sam is a mother of 7 (3 of those fur-kids), and with that being a large part of her life brings guidance, knowledge and a level of kindness we couldn’t live without. She has a great love of the outdoors and spends most of her time off hiking and exploring Australia, and planning her next big road trip with the family! Sam is gentle, patient and caring to all things living and guides us each and every day in continuing to provide our patients with the best care they deserve.
Emma is one of our incredible senior vet nurses, and loves all things surgery and diagnostic! Being a Cairns local she spends a lot of her time off with her dogs Tilly & Missy, exploring the beautiful creeks and mountains that surround our little city. Emma is an integral part of our team, as she has a passion for teaching and passing on her extensive veterinary nursing knowledge. Emma likes to ensure that all patients are given the very best care, patience and consideration, especially those that would rather be at home!
Dani joined our team in 2021, and from that moment has continued to make outstanding strides towards her surgical vet nursing career. Dani lived in South Africa for the first few years of her life, before settling in Cairns with her family at the age of 3. She can’t possibly have a favourite animal, but the ones that creep and crawl are the best in her opinion. Being a part of the veterinary industry is a dream come true for Dani. She holds a great passion for surgery, providing the absolute best patient care & exploring the outdoors, however her favourite activity has to be spending time with her 3 cats & Great Dane pup Shaggy!
Sarah is originally from Brisbane, but since 2016 has called Far North Queensland home. She has two beautiful dogs called Toby and Pearl, and enjoys spending her spare time taking them on adventures out west. Sarah has known she would be a part of the animal industry since she was 4. She loves caring for our hospital patients, and finds so much joy in the moments they can finally go home to their parents, happy and healthy again. She also has a particular affinity for Dingoes!
Hannah joined the Ulysses team in August of 2022. She’s been a part of the vet industry since the age of 15, and loves every minute of it! After high school she attended University to study human nursing, but it just wasn’t for her – what is life without animals, right? Hannah grew up in Townsville, but has made Cairns home for the last couple of years. Along with her partner Dylan and their Border Collie pup Hunter, they spend their spare time fishing, hiking and adventuring around FNQ. Hannah’s favourite part of Vet Nursing is taking care of her patients, providing comfort and support especially when they’d rather be at home with their parents. Hannah loves all animals but has a particular passion for Sea Turtles.
Ebony is one of our Trainee Veterinary Nurses who is currently studying Certificate IV in Vet Nursing. She spent the first 9 years of her life in Adelaide, before moving to sunny FNQ. She is currently studying her Certificate IV in Vet Nursing and loving it! Her goal once she has finished her Cert IV, will be to pick a speciality in the field and continue her studies, #Goals! Ebony is such a joy to work alongside and brings so much to our Ulysses family. She has always wanted a career surrounded by what she loves, animals! In her words, “I feel that a bit of extra love and understanding from the vet nurses is so important for the animals, to give them a comfortable and positive experience at the vet, and I wanted to be a part of that”. Ebony has a 10-year-old Wolfhound X called Buddy who loves laying in the sun and hanging out with the kids. Her favourite part about the veterinary industry is all the animals she gets to meet, help & care for; and to also be part of an incredible team that share the same passion for animals that she does.
Our amazing trainee Vet Nurse Caterina started in Oct 2023 and is currently studying Certificate IV in Vet Nursing. Although only being with the Ulysses team for a short time, Caterina blended like family immediately. Having moved to Queensland from Italia with her hubby in 2012, they’ve since had two beautiful boys and some very special pups. Caterina loves being a part of this industry for the simple reason of learning (more and more each day) how to help animals in so many different ways. Life isn’t life without our animals!
Sofie’s journey has taken her all over Australia, having lived in Perth, Melbourne, and Brisbane before settling in Cairns in March 2024. Sofie’s diverse upbringing has given her a unique perspective and a knack for connecting with people and pets from all walks of life. Sofie’s lifelong love for animals made a career in the veterinary industry a natural choice. From her earliest days, she was determined to work in any role that brought her closer to animals. Today, she finds immense satisfaction in nursing sick patients back to health, cherishing the rewarding moments when they recover and thrive. When she’s not at the clinic, Sofie enjoys quiet days filled with reading, hitting the gym, or taking her two beautiful dogs for long walks. Sofie is passionate about providing compassionate care and looks forward to meeting you and your pets!
Leilani is one of our Trainee Veterinary Nurses who is currently studying Certificate IV in Vet Nursing. She is a Cairns local who grew up Kuranda. She has always had a love and respect for animals and is passionate about giving them the best life they can have. Leilani’s best friend is Marley, her 1.5 year old cat. She loves to spend her weekends in the backyard with him, and improving her 7 budgies’ aviary to ensure they are continuously thriving. Leilani’s favourite parts about working in the vet industry are – comforting nervous animals to help them feel safe, the variety of animal species she gets to work with, and how much she gets to learn about them. Her goal is to travel the world working with all species of animals!
Karalee was born and raised in Gordonvale and has spent her entire life on the southside of Cairns. Her passion for science and animals is the perfect combination, fueling her curiosity and love for learning. She thrives on keeping her brain engaged and enjoys tackling new challenges every day. In her downtime, Karalee loves camping, adventuring with her three dogs and relaxing at home.
Zoe was born in Cairns but spent much of her childhood on the Sunshine Coast before traveling around Australia. Seven years ago, she returned to Cairns and has loved being back in the tropics since. From a young age, Zoe dreamed of working with animals, and her passion led her to the veterinary industry. She thrives in her role as our superstar receptionist, surrounded by a fantastic team and the opportunity to meet & care for a variety of animals. Outside of work, Zoe enjoys spending her weekends exploring the outdoors with her dogs. Whether it’s visiting local creeks or discovering new trails, she’s always up for an adventure with her furbabies. Zoe’s love for animals and dedication to their care makes her an invaluable part of our team.
Sienna has been with Ulysses since 2022, and with her superstar Vet Nurse Mum Sam to teach & guide her, this future nurse is unstoppable! Sienna loves her weekends at home catching up on her favourite books & hanging out with her dogs Ruski & Vinnie, and their feathered friend, the very handsome cockatiel Stan-Lee.
© Ulysses Veterinary Clinic Cairns 2026
